“I take it she didn’t like the bouquet he chose?”
I know the question is meant to lighten the mood, but it’s a reminder of the night we met. Liam would still be a stranger to me if it weren’t for Wren.
“I think it went beyond that.” I laugh.
“So that’s ex number one.” She wags her index finger in the air. “You said ex number two crashed your date last night?”
In a very hard and unwelcome way.
I don’t know if Liam and I would have moved beyond kissing, but Darcy’s sudden appearance took that decision out of my hands.
“When she knocked on the door, he was on a call in another room.”
Linny’s jaw tenses. “With who?”
I know what she’s thinking, so I push that concern out of her mind with three simple words. “Not a woman.”
Her shoulders relax. Tilting her head to the side, she stares at me. “What did you do when the ex showed up?”
I look away because I still don’t know if I did the right thing. It felt right at the time. “I left.”
“Good.” She pushes to her feet. “You don’t need to get tangled up with any guy who hasn’t untangled himself from his past.”
What if I want to be tangled up with him?
Moving closer to me, my sister-in-law sighs. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I want your heart to be safe.”
“Would you have dated Jeremy if you knew about all of his exes?”
Her eyes catch mine. “How many exes are we talking about?”
“Does it matter now?” I ask, reaching for the laptop. I slide it toward me so I can get started on my next order.
“No.” She picks up a daisy I discarded earlier when I was going through my daily delivery. Bringing it to her nose, she closes her eyes briefly before she drops it back onto the table. “You matter. You’re young. I know you haven’t had the best luck with men, so be careful, Athena. Don’t let this guy’s baggage weigh you down.”
Reaching behind me to pluck a single perfect pink rose from a container, I place it in her hand. “I promise I’ll be careful. Give that to Cassidy for me and tell her Auntie Athena loves her.”
“She loves you too.” She plants a kiss on my cheek. “We all do. You’ll come for spaghetti tomorrow night, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Athena
Today was long as hell.
After Linny left, I dove into work and slammed out ten bouquets in record time.
Boom.
Only one of my weekend coworkers showed up. She brought with her an explanation for the other’s absence. Martinis and men.
They both got drunk last night, so they flipped a coin and I ended up with a very queasy helper for the day. Since she was in no shape to face the people receiving the bouquets I put together, I took on deliveries again.
That’s what brought me here.
I’m at the hospital.
